Top tech experts expect a magazine-sized Apple tablet to change the game and push aside many single-purpose gadgets in the process.

According to the top industry experts and analysts who spoke with CNN Money, Apple’s alleged tablet is both the next big thing that will wow everybody and the ultimate gadget set to beat rival gizmos and whole categories to the tablet punch. Besides re-iterating a long list of expected features (see our “Top 10 things to love about Apple’s tablet”), the publication added items that weren’t mentioned before, like the very high-end graphics and ultra-high screen resolution described as “stunning”, in addition to multiple sizes all the way up to 12 inches.

Based on pieces of information collected from analysts, CNN Money described the tablet as a “magazine-sized, touch-screen, hand-held, all-in-one device that is half-iPhone, half-Macintosh computer.” A notable quote from a senior CNET editor Dan Ackerman:

Apple will come out with the tablet and blow everyone away. Instead of taking along a Kindle and an iPod, that [tablet] could become the device you carry with you.

Many fans hope the tablet will feature Nvidia’s upcoming Tegra2 chip capable of running advanced 3D graphics and driving full HD (1080p) video output. On the other hand, industry sources claim Apple has tasked its in-house P.A. Semi engineering team with the creation of a custom system-on-a-chip combining an ARM-based CPU design with next-gen GPU cores from Imagination. Some even think Apple will engineer its own piece of silicon with unique features that will be off limit to vendors who se off-the-shel components.

Apple fans don’t even question existence of the tablet project. Patent leaks, Chinese sources, and common sense logic all point at the tablet. A recent survey suggested that Apple fans are twice as likely to spend $800 for an Apple tablet than their PC fellows. The device is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2010, priced between $600 and $1,000.

Christian’s Opinion

Resolution is absolutely paramount for this device. When the iPhone came out in July 2007, the first thing everyone noticed was its crisp 480×320 LCD screen with 16 million colors – a nice fit for your photos and videos. Another example: A high-resolution display on new iMacs is the most defining feature and the biggest selling point of the entire lineup. The 27-incher has a 16:9 display that runs a whopping 2560×1440 resolution and is enhanced with the premium IPS technology. Put simply, Apple’s gadgets often turn heads thanks to killer displays. If anything, the tablet will be the ultimate showcase of display technology.

It’s a device you’ll be holding in your hands for a prolonged period of time so it better have top-notch screen that prevents eye strain. A strong multimedia focus indicates at least and HD-ready (1280×720) resolution so it could stream HD videos from the iTunes Store without having to rescale content. If the tablet is to redefine print and become a Kindle killer, it’ll definitely benefit from high enough resolution to offset its lack of the electronic ink technology. Whichever the case, it looks like Apple will seduce a would-be tablet buyers with smooth graphics, flashy 3D games, and a crisp display that will render e-books and newspapers in stunning detail.